I didn't know they did an ultrasound for that I have always thought is was blood or amniotic fluid test. But I never had it done, I guess I looked at it as why do all the testing to find out when in the end it wouldn't change how I felt about my baby. I would just stress the rest of the pregnancy instead of enjoying it like I should.
@mommy2now3 the only reason im having it done is so i can prepare myself for a baby with a disability if it has done syndrome, it wouldnt change how i feel about my baby.
@mummy_to_be how far along are you? I understand the being prepared part completely. I am just mot sure I could go through my pregnancy knowing and being worried about it instead of just enjoying my special time with my baby. But I understand completely where you are coming from. It is a personal opinion
Sometime the results can lie. My cousin had gotten it done. They said the baby would be very slow and said he had very low muscle tone and would be unlikely to walk.
wrong. He does have downs and had 3 holes in his heart, but he goes to public school(kindergarten) and he is just like any other 5 yr old. And the holes healed on their own. Main thing is he isn't potty trained and is hard to understand. Only knows a few words.
I got the ultrasound and bloods both pregnancies. I would rather have the time to accept the outcome and educate myself on any special needs my child may have so I can be the best possible parent. I never discussed if I would continue with the pregnancy if the outcome was negative but I supposed that it wasn't a decision I could make unless I was in that position
@mumma_to_be The ONLY thing that will tell you for sure is an amniocentesis test. It is where they extract a tiny bit of amniotic fluid and test the chromosomes. They will perform this if you request it, or if there are markers for downs in the QUAD blood test and a level II ultrasound. This procedure is done usually between 14 and 21 weeks, too early to tell before that. I had a QUAD blood test done at 14 wks, and then an advanced ultrasound and amnio at about 16. I chose to do so because my blood test came back with an elevated level indicating there was a SLIGHT CHANCE (1 in 93) (they offer amnio to anyone that comes back in the 1 in 300 or higher category...I believe the norm is 1 in 700). I opted to do the level II ultrasound because I wanted to know, I HAD to know. During the level II, there was one marker for downs spotted which upped my chances even more...needless to say, I did the amniocentesis test that very day. The hardest part about the entire procedure was the 24 hr wait time to find out the results. The nice thing about the amnio test (looks much scarier than it actually is) is that it tells you not only if your baby will have downs but tests for hundreds of other things too, and is 99.9999% accurate. My tests turned out to be just fine, and my son is perfect...and due to make his appearance tomorrow. I have a thread under my profile from when I actually had all this testing done...with details and emotion...feel free to click on my name and find it. In the end, the decision is SOLELY yours and in my experience, was worth it. I've enjoyed this pregnancy to the fullest...without the stress of thinking my little baby may not be fully ok. Good luck with whatever you decide.
@darknesofnight4u I'm pretty sure down syndrome is not genetic. it can happen to anyone. However studies show the older you are the higher the chance of having a baby with downs. I'm not sure if I will or not I guess it depends on what my clinic does. I don't have my first appt til next thursday. I'll be between 8-9w
@BabyLuv8 My partner is a nurse and in one of his nursing books it says its gentic and has somethin to do with their chromozones (sp?) and im only 16 so i think my chances will be pretty low but any excuse to see my baby will do lol
My advice to you @mumma_to_be would be to do lots of research. Downs is absolutely NOT genetic, it does not matter if there is a history of it, or not. It happens the moment a baby is conceived. It is all chromosomal and "luck" of the draw. The baby ends up with an extra chromosome, the chromosome number 21 to be exact. Read as much as you can about it. Being that you are so young, and I'm assuming healthy...this greatly reduces your risk of a baby with downs.
@mumma_to_be yeah it's the 26th chromosome isnt complete and causes downs. I've never heard it was genetic but I suppose if it has run in a family alot then yea but usually for anyone I know it happened randomly!
I opted out as well. Of my son had it it wouldnt change my love for him. Also the test isnt even 100%. My friend is proof. The dr tried convincing her mother to abort her but she declined and gave birth to a healthy baby with no problems..
Although I dont *really* feel that wikipedia is a reliable research point, I went and read it again. (Ive actually read it before, I became interesed while working with the Festival of Trees and Lights.) It does imply that there are certain hereditary factors, especially in the section outlining.mosaicism that discusses the presence BEFORE conception.
Nothing on the internet is a reliable source... take it from me I have a child with Down Syndrome and she is perfect... I gave birth to her when I was 25 yo i didnt test with her cause i have 2 other daughters that are perfectly healthy and didnt think i could have a baby with ds cause i was young.....the younger u are the higher ur chances are to have a child with this disability reason being the younger generation are the ones having children vs the older generation. And DS can be genetic there's 3 types of DS
DS is a chromosomal abnormality and women over the age of 35 are more likely to have children with DS. After the age of 35 it is recommend that you at least have the blood work to see if you result come back higher than normal. I am 31 and did not have the test done because I did not want the extra stress if it came abnormal. And my doctor brought up a good point, even if it came back 1 in 100 there is still a 99% chance of having a perfectly healthy baby. So it is just a matter of what you would want to do with the information. He offer mine b4 I was out of the second trimester in case I wanted to abort.
@sweet_child_of_mine I have read about...in medical books. I dont trust what is written on wikipedia, i'd rather trust what is written in medical books.
Down syndrome IS genetic. It comes from the moms genes also. They wanted me to get tested b.c. its in my family. And young and older(35+) woman have a greater chance if having a baby with DS.
Comments
wrong. He does have downs and had 3 holes in his heart, but he goes to public school(kindergarten) and he is just like any other 5 yr old. And the holes healed on their own. Main thing is he isn't potty trained and is hard to understand. Only knows a few words.
The ONLY thing that will tell you for sure is an amniocentesis test. It is where they extract a tiny bit of amniotic fluid and test the chromosomes. They will perform this if you request it, or if there are markers for downs in the QUAD blood test and a level II ultrasound. This procedure is done usually between 14 and 21 weeks, too early to tell before that. I had a QUAD blood test done at 14 wks, and then an advanced ultrasound and amnio at about 16. I chose to do so because my blood test came back with an elevated level indicating there was a SLIGHT CHANCE (1 in 93) (they offer amnio to anyone that comes back in the 1 in 300 or higher category...I believe the norm is 1 in 700). I opted to do the level II ultrasound because I wanted to know, I HAD to know. During the level II, there was one marker for downs spotted which upped my chances even more...needless to say, I did the amniocentesis test that very day. The hardest part about the entire procedure was the 24 hr wait time to find out the results. The nice thing about the amnio test (looks much scarier than it actually is) is that it tells you not only if your baby will have downs but tests for hundreds of other things too, and is 99.9999% accurate. My tests turned out to be just fine, and my son is perfect...and due to make his appearance tomorrow.
I'm not sure if I will or not I guess it depends on what my clinic does. I don't have my first appt til next thursday. I'll be between 8-9w
* Do your research, as you can see people have already provided misinformation...do not go off what everyone tells you. READ about it.
Although I dont *really* feel that wikipedia is a reliable research point, I went and read it again. (Ive actually read it before, I became interesed while working with the Festival of Trees and Lights.) It does imply that there are certain hereditary factors, especially in the section outlining.mosaicism that discusses the presence BEFORE conception.